Philip Keith Lee, who died in Adelaide on August 9, 1980, at the age of 75, played twice for Australia - against South Africa in 1931-32 and against England at Sydney in the body-line series of 1932-33. His four for 111 in England's first innings of 454 included the wickets of Hammond for 101, Paynter for 9 and Allen for 48, in spite of ill-luck with catches. In Australia's first innings, batting at number eight, Lee scored 42. For South Australia in 1930-31, his first innings of 106 (his only first-class century) and five for 57 in the West Indians' second innings had much to do with South Australia gaining an exciting victory. Bowling off-breaks at a slow-medium pace, he had good control of length and his flight could be deceptive. With Wall and Grimmett, he formed the nucleus of a useful South Australian attack. Like Victor Richardson, the great South Australian sportsman, Lee was also a talented footballer and baseball player. In 1933-34 he played in both Test trials, held as a guide to the selection of the Australian side to England in 1934, but although he scored a fifty in the second of them he was never chosen to tour. His 152 first-class wickets cost him 30.16 apiece and he scored 1,669 first-class runs at an average of 18.54.
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack

One of Australia's finest all-round sportsmen, Philip Keith 'Perker' Lee, died in Adelaide on August 9, aged 75. A product of Adelaide's famous St Peters College, he ranked second only to the mighty Vic Richardson in his talent as cricketer, baseballer and footballer, and though his performances for South Australia were less than sensational, he did earn two Test caps, the first against South Africa in 1931-32, when he failed to score and took only a
tailend wicket, and a year later, again at Sydney, when he took four wickets -
Hammond for 101, Larwood 98, Paynter and Allen - for 111 off 40.2 overs, having
scored a valuable 42. In the second innings his 15 was the only double-figure score apart from Woodfull's 67 and Bradman's 71, and the match (and series) was finished with an eight-wicket England victory as Hammond drove him for six.

Born in Gladstone, SA on September 14, 1904, Lee was a slow-medium offspinner, and the State attack was one to be reckoned with when Tim Wall used the new
ball and Lee and the immortal Grimmett took on the spin bowling. He made 1556
runs for South Australia, took around 150 wickets, and returned the impressive
double of 106 and 5 for 57 against the 1930-31 West Indians. A cameo distinction
is that Don Bradman reached the first of his 117 centuries with a pull for four off Lee's bowling.
Wisden Cricket Monthly

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